Panthers Receiver Kelvin Benjamin To Miss Season Due To ACL Tear

Injuries and football go hand in hand, and recently, Carolina Panthers offense is the victim. Their star wide receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, is due to miss the entire season due to a torn left ACL injury.

Now, management has weighed in on their loss, with Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman illustrating the effort he witnessed Benjamin put into offseason work, and how it will now be wasted. He said, “Obviously, we feel awful for Kelvin. He’s worked tremendously hard to put himself in a positon to have a strong year. We’re confident he will attack his surgery and rehab with the same determination he has met all challenges before.”

The injury occurred during a practice drill where Benjamin ran a one-on-one route against Dolphins safety Reshad Jones. After making a sharp cut to the sideline, his knee buckled and he grabbed his knees as he cried out in pain.

When describing the injury, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said that the injury sustained by Benajmin was not maliciously. “[Benjamin] went to plant and make a swim move and without any contact just kind of went down,” he said. “It was unfortunate and it’s one of those things that could have happened in any drill.”

While his team took a knee around him as he was being carted off, QB Cam Newton seemed distraught at seeing his injured first option. While the Panthers are stacked at the position, Benjamin’s talent is difficult to replace.

He was also not the only one to be injured during that practice, as WR Stephen Hill also tore his ACL and rookie WR Devin Funchess injured his hamstring.

The Panthers are now looking to start  Corey Brown and Jerricho Cotchery, but they are also looking at backups Ted Ginn Jr., Brenton Bersin and Jarrett Boykin to step up.